US President congratulates Democrats on midterms

US President Donald Trump had rare praise for rival Democrats Tuesday after their stunning US midterm elections victory and admitted the Iran war may have played a part in the defeat of his Republican Party.

But he refused to take any personal responsibility for the result that upends the final two years of his presidency, instead trying to shift the blame to his fellow Republicans.

The complimentary comments were highly unusual for Trump, who spent much of the midterms campaign branding Democrats as everything from communists to Islamists. Trump also reiterated that, unlike his 2020 presidential election loss, he accepted the vote results and was ready to work with Democrats now that they will control Congress. At the same time, Trump warned he was ready to use his executive power to veto any Democratic legislation he felt like.

With polls showing the Iran war and resulting rise in oil prices was vastly unpopular with voters, Trump also acknowledged that the stalled conflict had contributed to the result, yet his conciliatory tone did not extend to his own party. Trump posted later that he was going to “become a political pundit” and give the reasons why Republicans lost, blaming several members that he used to praise, but the White House also called the quality of the Republicans into question.

Iran is on his mind and there is widespread speculation that the president will resume large-scale military action against Tehran — doubling down on a war that it is now clear voters loathed.